Chapter 6: Becoming a Disciple and Learning Skills, Even in Dreams

No one knew how much time had passed before the milky-white light streaming from the old man’s hands finally faded away, and the transmission of the Fuling Heart Sutra to Chang Yu came to an end.

The old man withdrew his hand from Chang Yu’s head, took a deep breath, and said, “The Fuling Heart Sutra is divided into seven levels, each more difficult to cultivate than the last. Correspondingly, with each breakthrough, you will ascend to a higher realm.”

“If you can truly master the highest level of the Fuling Heart Sutra, you will surely become an existence revered by all, possessing the strength to move mountains, shift seas, and change the stars themselves.”

“With my assistance in the Enlightenment Method, you have already succeeded in learning the first level of the Fuling Heart Sutra. Now, you are a Cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage.”

“Qi Condensation Cultivator?” Chang Yu instantly caught this unfamiliar term.

“In the cultivation hierarchy, Qi Condensation cultivators are the most common and numerous. Every powerful master whose name echoes through the ages began as a Qi Condensation cultivator,” the old man explained, gently stroking his snowy beard.

“Master… so after all that enlightenment, I’m only at the very bottom of the cultivator ranks?” Chang Yu finally understood what the elder meant.

“Ah, well…” The old man looked a bit embarrassed, unconsciously tugging harder at his beard, causing several curled strands to drift to the floor.

“My child! You must not take your blessings for granted!” he admonished. “The Qi Condensation stage is a chasm separating mortals from immortals. Even if Qi Condensation is the lowest among cultivators, it is by no means something anyone can attain easily.”

“Many people, even after a lifetime of effort, never become Qi Condensation cultivators!” Not wanting to appear as a master looked down upon by his disciple on the first day, the old man took pains to explain.

“Every Qi Condensation cultivator has trained their body from childhood, consumed countless spiritual pills and elixirs, and spent enormous effort just to sense spiritual energy and achieve Qi Condensation.”

“To become a Qi Condensation cultivator is not easy. If you had relied solely on your own talent and effort, without my assistance, it would have taken you three or four years to succeed—if all went well.”

“The threshold for immortal cultivation is not as low as you think!”

“Now, with my help, you’ve skipped the hardest step and directly achieved Qi Condensation. How can you not be content?”

“If you told others that I personally performed enlightenment for you, you’d make countless people green with envy!”

Is becoming a Qi Condensation cultivator really that difficult? Comprehension finally dawned on Chang Yu.

Although his understanding of the cultivation hierarchy was limited to the white-robed old man’s explanations, he instinctively trusted his words.

Feeling rather pleased, Chang Yu climbed to his feet and dusted himself off.

He was just about to thank his master when a force, acting upon the depths of his soul, suddenly made him feel disoriented.

At the same time, his body gradually became translucent, as if he were nothing but a wavering reflection on water.

“What’s happening?” Chang Yu watched in alarm as his body grew indistinct and hazy.

He could feel a vast and mighty will within this world relentlessly rejecting him, as though at any moment he would be expelled.

Simultaneously, a tremendous force began tugging him from an unfathomable distance. This force carried a familiar and comforting aura, reaching straight into the depths of his soul, robbing him of control over his own body.

“Master, save me!” Startled by the sudden turn of events, Chang Yu cried out for help.

“So that’s how it is!” In stark contrast to Chang Yu’s panic, the old man appeared calm and composed.

“It seems the time has come… My boy, do not resist the force pulling you. Surrender to its will,” the old man instructed.

The wise elder seemed to have already surmised what was happening to Chang Yu.

Heeding his master’s advice, Chang Yu let go of all resistance and apprehension toward the force.

Only then did he realize that, though vast and powerful, this force was gentle and held no intention of harming him.

A dizzying sense of weightlessness enveloped him, and everything in his vision blurred. Vivid, surreal lines of color replaced his surroundings, while his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

A profound drowsiness overtook him, closing his eyes and banishing all other thoughts.

Chang Yu felt himself hurtling through space under the pull of that force, moving ever closer to a place he knew well.

Just before he lost consciousness completely, the old man’s familiar voice echoed in his ears.

“My disciple, I haven’t told you my name yet. I am Master Hao Er. Remember that well!”

“While I am not by your side, do not neglect your cultivation. When next we meet, I will test your progress myself!”

…

When he awoke, daylight already streamed through the windows. Chang Yu lay staring blankly at the dilapidated ceiling.

“It felt like such a vivid, lengthy dream,” he murmured to himself.

“Lately, I’ve been dreaming a lot. Could it be that my health is failing?”

“No, I’ll need to take some herbal supplements tomorrow!”

Dreaming while sleeping had always been an ordinary matter for Chang Yu. In fact, it was nothing unusual for anyone.

He’d had many dreams before, but this one was unlike any other.

His past dreams were always disjointed fragments, devoid of logic—vague, ambiguous scenes that drifted away upon waking. None had ever possessed the coherence, dramatic twists, and vivid clarity of this one.

Was it possible that it hadn’t been a dream at all, but something that truly happened?

With that thought, Chang Yu immediately recalled the first level of the Fuling Heart Sutra imparted to him by Master Hao Er in the dream.

What happened next astonished him.

The contents of the Sutra’s first level were still etched deeply in his memory. Even the insights and understanding he’d gained were seamlessly integrated into his mind.

“I’ve really struck it rich this time!”

“So it wasn’t just my imagination—immortal arts aren’t merely the stuff of fiction, but truly exist!”

Chang Yu leapt from his bed, all traces of sleep vanishing from his face.

Excited and a little anxious, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began circulating the first level of the Fuling Heart Sutra as he remembered.

Almost instantly, a faint warmth blossomed within his body.

This gentle current raced through his limbs and bones, a continuous flow like a trickling stream, filling him with a tingling, aching sensation.

A lightness he’d never known suffused his body, making him feel as if he might float away.

As the current completed a circuit, Chang Yu’s body suddenly trembled. Filthy impurities began seeping from his pores, encasing him in a layer of grime.

A pungent, acrid odor permeated the room, making the whole place smell like a garbage dump.

“This must be the true energy my master bestowed upon me, and this filth is the impurity being purged from my body,” Chang Yu thought excitedly, his eyes now sparkling with clarity.

Thanks to the knowledge and insights engraved in his memory, he knew this was the normal process of refining the first level of the Fuling Heart Sutra—what cultivators called “shed hair and cleanse marrow.”

Though he’d already undergone enlightenment in the dream and become a bona fide Qi Condensation cultivator, this was his first time operating the Sutra in the real world—so purging such impurities was only natural.

“This smell is unbearable. I need a bath right away.”

Elated as he was at acquiring immortal arts, Chang Yu held back his excitement just long enough to rush into the bathroom and scrub himself clean.

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, his heart swelled with excitement again at the thought of officially joining the ranks of cultivators.

To test his strength, he gathered his true energy in his right fist and struck the wall with all his might.

Bang!

A loud crash echoed through the room as his fist left a deep impression in the wall, exposing the underlying cement.

Dust and plaster rained down from the impact, clattering onto the floor.

“Whoa! That’s powerful!”

Chang Yu was stunned by the force of his own punch and stared in amazement at the deep imprint in the wall.

“I thought the Qi Condensation stage my master spoke of was the lowest of the low among cultivators,” he marveled. “When I learned I’d only become a Qi Condensation cultivator, I was actually a bit disappointed, feeling shortchanged.”

“But I never imagined that even the lowest stage would grant such formidable strength. It’s truly astounding!”

“My master was able to bring someone with no foundation at all up to Qi Condensation with ease. He must be at an incredibly high level himself.”

“I should really seize every opportunity to get closer to him, flatter him, and hold tight to his coattails.”

“Being able to take such a master as my teacher, I can’t complain. Believe it or not, it turns out you really can become an immortal cultivator just by dreaming.”

“I wonder if there’s anyone else in the world like me. But even if there is, I bet none of them are as heaven-defying as I am!”

Lost in endless fantasies, Chang Yu was suddenly struck by a sobering realization that made him groan aloud.

“Wait… Did I forget something?”

“Oh no! My master never told me where Fuling Valley is. How am I supposed to find him?”